Tag Archives: europe

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: China outproducing Exxon Mobil, North Sea major gas leak, Sudan bombs oil rich South Sudan, Iraqi Kurds stop oil shipments, Canada will stop selling cheap oil to the U.S.!

French oil company Total, could lose $2.5 million USD per day due to its North Sea oil rig leak.

The Elgin ocean rig, near Scotland, began leaking natural gas eight days ago.  It’s coming from a well that workers were trying to cap.  The situation in the North Sea now, is similar to the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico blow out.

Workers were evacuated for fear of a huge explosion. There are now reports of “oily sheen” on the ocean’s surface.

According to the North African country of South Sudan, their neighbor Sudan is bombing their oil rich areas, in order to drive off investors from the United States.

Officials from Sudan deny that they are specifically targeting oil wells, but U.S. President Barack Obama asked both sides to avoid targeting oil resources.  The U.S. supported the creation of the new country of South Sudan.

The Kurdish autonomous government in northern Iraq, have stopped oil shipments.  Kurdish officials say the Iraqi government has not made any of the payments promised for past oil shipments.

Iraqi officials responded by stating that the Kurds have not sent all the oil that was promised. However, a payment of $560 million USD is being reviewed.

Iraqi officials also say they have reason to believe the Kurds are illegally selling oil to neighboring Middle Eastern countries.  However, despite such claims of loss from Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraqi oil exports hit 2.13 million barrels per day in March.

The world’s biggest oil producer is no longer Exxon Mobil.  PetroChina is now the number one producer of petroleum oil.

According to Bloomberg, PetroChina is now producing a little more than 2.4 million barrels per day of oil.  Chinese officials say the petroleum company will actually increase its take over of other oil companies around the world, because China’s industries need the oil.

“Look, the very fact that a ‘no’ [a no on Keystone] could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets. We cannot be, as a country, in a situation where our one and, in many cases, only energy partner could say no to our energy products. We just cannot be in that position.”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

Canada has been selling its oil to the United States by at least half the going rate, but Canadian officials say that can’t continue, even if U.S. officials approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Canada will eventually jack up the price for U.S. customers.

“We have taken a significant price hit by virtue of the fact that we are a captive supplier and that just does not make sense in terms of the broader interests of the Canadian economy…”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

 

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? European Unemployment Up, Spain hit hardest

April 2, 2012, the European Union reported that unemployment is still high.  It’s the 8th straight month of increasing unemployment for the EU.

Portugal’s unemployment is now at 15%, with Italy at 9.3%.

Spain is hardest hit, with 23.6% officially unemployed.  Young workers under 25 years of age are suffering the most.  Spain’s youth unemployment rate is at 50.5%, which means that one out of every two youth are out of work!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Corporate Evil & What Economic Recovery? U.S. Alcoa to close factories worlwide, thousands of people to lose jobs. It’s all because Alcoa wants higher Aluminum prices

March 27, 2012, Sardinian workers are protesting the planned closing of Alcoa’s Portovesme aluminum smelter on the island of Sardinia.  The move could cost Italy the loss of at least 1,500 jobs.

U.S. media last reported that U.S. based Alcoa was making a deal with union workers to keep the factory open, however, European media says that ain’t so.

In fact three potential investors are now suing Alcoa.  The Italian government has been demanding Alcoa keep their factory open.  The Spanish government is also upset because Aloca has plans to reduce smelter operations there.

This is evidence that Corporate America is partly to blame for the continuing economic disaster in Europe!  But it’s not just Europeans losing their jobs, Alcoa is hitting Australians as well.

In Geelong, Australia, Alcoa says it’s closing down operations there, because it doesn’t want to pay its electricity bill!  Alcoa wants a deal from the Australian government, and utility suppliers, in order to keep its Point Henry smelter open.

Alcoa also blames the pending closing of their Australian smelter on the need for $100 million AUD (Australian Dollars) to upgrade the smelter to meet environmental regulations.  600 people could lose their jobs.

But the real reason for the closings of all these Aloca operations worldwide, is that the price of aluminum is not high enough for Alcoa executives.

Recently Alcoa officials said the recent drop in aluminum prices “…will result in a global aluminum industry deficit of 600,000 metric tons in 2012.” Why would that be?  Because the aluminum industry will cut back production until aluminum prices go back up. That means closing down factories, creating thousands more unemployed people.

Interestingly, despite aluminum prices being low, on March 1, 2012, Alcoa announced they were actually raising prices (by 5%) on some of their aluminum products!

International, U.S.

World War 3: Libyan Rebel leader says Western Powers wanted Gaddafi killed, because of his knowledge of the evil secrets of Europe & United States

“There are just too many parties who have real interests that Gaddafi doesn’t talk, that he should be silenced forever.”-Mahmoud Jibril, former Interim Prime Minister Libyan NTC

In an exclusive interview with Russia Today, Jibril said Gaddafi was not killed under NTC orders, they wanted him alive. He says it was Western Powers (United States and European Union) that wanted him dead.

Jibril even said: “I would love to know who was behind [Gaddafi’s] killing.”

Those who killed Gaddafi even used their cell phones to record video of their torture and finally killing of Gaddafi.  It was obviously meant to send a message (as was the cell phone video of Saddam Hussein’s ridicule before he was executed).

Jibril says the proof that the war in Libya was not about oil, but about killing Gaddafi, is the fact that Europe was getting oil while Gaddafi was in power. This is backed up by Jibril’s belief that Western Powers suddenly ignored Libya once Gaddafi was killed: “What I am saying is that after the regime fell down [Gaddafi killed] most of the Western countries felt that ‘mission has been accomplished’…we need the help to re-establish our national army…to re-establish our police…and prepare the country for elections…unfortunately the kind of assistance provided by our potential friends…are not a priority for the time being.”

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: More Hypocrisy; the U.S. exempts EU & Japan from Iran oil sanctions

In a move that is hypocritical, the United States has exempted 10 European Union countries, and Japan, from U.S. imposed Iran oil sanctions.

It also brings up the question: What was the point?

I already showed how, under the Bush jr administration, U.S. corporations were exempted from future sanctions against Iran, back in 2000!

The countries now granted exemptions from the U.S. oil sanctions are Belgium, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Japan.

Again: What was the point of the U.S. imposed sanctions against Iran, if the U.S. is going to grant exemptions to other countries, and, a Republican created law in 2000 already exempts U.S. corporations from having to obey any sanctions anyway?

International, U.S.

World War 3: Russia supports UN resolution on Syria, but only if….

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said Russia will support a resolution on Syria proposed by Kofi Annan, but only if two conditions are met.

One: The details of the resolution are made public.

Two: That it is not an “Ultimatum”, but an on going process of dialog to “…end to violence on all sides…”

International, U.S.

World War 3: Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia orders destruction of all Christian Churches! Backlash for Herman Cain statements?

The Grand Mufti of U.S. petrodollar triad member Saudi Arabia, has ordered that all churches on the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed!

This follows yesterday’s announcement by Said al-Shihri, a leader of the U.S. created al Qaeda, who ordered the killing of all Shi’a Muslims in Saudi Arabia!

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, is the highest official of religious law in Saudi Arabia, as well as the head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Scholars.  He claims the Prophet Mohammed said the Arabian Peninsula can have only one religion.

The Grand Mufti’s declaration follows the announcement of a Kuwaiti politician, Osama al-Munawar, who said the Kuwaiti parliament will consider a law that will ban the construction of new Christian churches in Kuwait.

These calls for actions against Christians might be in retaliation for anti-Muslim statements made by U.S. leaders. Failed presidential candidate hopeful, Herman Cain, said he believed that U.S. Muslims were not protected by the Constitution: “They’re using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their morals in that community, and the people of that community do not like it.”

Pat Buchanan told a radio host that the U.S. should find a way to ban the construction of new Mosques.

In 2009 Switzerland banned the building of Minarets.  In 2010 France banned the wearing of anything that covered your face, the law is actually directed towards Muslim women.

Basically, the Christian West started the whole thing!

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: Iran cuts oil shipment to 4 more European countries! SWIFT retaliation? U.S. to sanction India

March 16, 2012, Iran’s Oil Ministry announced it will stop oil shipments to four more European Union members.

Back in February Iran stopped oil shipments to France and United Kingdom.  Iran had also named four other EU countries that could lose their Iranian oil shipments.

Iranian media reporting that Iran will now stop oil shipments to those other countries.  Those countries are Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

I’ve heard that claim before, but this time it might be for real, and in retaliation for Iran’s exclusion from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

“It is a direct result of international and multilateral action to intensify financial sanctions against Iran.”-Lazaro Campos, CEO SWIFT

The SWIFT move will affect about 30 Iranian banks.

Washington DC insiders say it’s likely the United States will sanction India, for refusing to take part in the U.S. led oil sanctions against Iran: “Given the level of trade, and in particular oil, between Iran and India, targeting an Indian entity that facilitates Iran’s access to the international financial market should be top of mind for the U.S. Treasury.”-Avi Jorisch, former Treasury Department official

According to the International Energy Agency, India and South Korea have greatly increased the amount of oil they’re buying from Iran.  Japan and South Korea are demanding exemptions from the U.S. oil sanctions, because British Petroleum was able to be exempted. (I told you Obama does not have the support of the International Community, as he claims)

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Turkish helicopter down in Afghanistan, U.S. led soldier killed by bomb blast, Karzai continues to blast U.S. officials, shooting victims say they don’t want money, just the heads of Americans!

March 16, 2012, a Turkish helicopter crashed outside the city of Kabul. 12 Turkish personnel and two Afghan civilians were killed.  Witness say the helicopter was having technical problems.

There are about 1,800 Turkish troops helping the U.S./NATO/ISAF forces in Afghanistan.

Last week “Taliban” claimed they shot down a U.S. helicopter, but no confirmation came from U.S. sources.

Also on March 16, a U.S. led NATO soldier was killed by road side bomb. No word on which country he was from.

Afghanistan’s President continues to condemn U.S. policies. Hamid Karzai said “This has been going on for too long. You have heard me before. It is by all means the end of the rope here!“  He was speaking to relatives of the Panjwaii shooting rampage, and reporters.

A man who’s brother and sister were killed shouted: “I don’t want any compensation! I don’t want money, I don’t want a trip to Mecca, I don’t want a house! I want nothing! But what I absolutely want is the punishment of the Americans! This is my demand, my demand, my demand and my demand!!!” 

Under Islamic law it is the right of victims, or dead victims’ relatives, to determine what kind of justice is handed out.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Toyota & Subaru begin production of new sports car. For sale in the United States?

A few weeks ago Subaru announced they were ending decades of minicar production in Japan. They said they just weren’t profitable.

Now that minicar factory is being used to produce a sports car jointly designed by Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries (owner of Subaru).

It’s called the Toyota 86, or Subaru BRZ.  It’s reported to have an engine designed for lots of power and fuel economy.

The car is supposed to go on sale in Australia in June. There the car is being marketed to potential buyers with incomes of at least Australian$150,000 per year.

The car will be powered by a water cooled 2.0-litre Boxer (horizontally opposed 4 cylinder, like the old air cooled VWs)  D-4S gas (petrol) engine.   147kW (199.8 hp) and 205Nm (151 foot pounds) of torque.  Base model comes with automatic transmission, but buyers could get a six-speed manual transmission. Limited slip differential will be available, except on the base model with automatic transmission.

The cars are also planned for sale in Europe.

Will the car be sold in the United States?  Reports say Toyota will sell the car under their Scion brand, as the Scion FR-S.  Subaru will sell it as a Subaru BRZ, at a rumored starting price of U.S.$25,000.  They hope to sell at least 7,000 per year.